Losing Control
by daphrose
Summary: It started slowly, but it grew larger and larger until he couldn't deny that something was wrong with him. There was something deep within, something tearing him apart from the inside. Every day another nightmare, every day another fear. It was killing him slowly. All he could do was scream soundlessly, trapped inside his own mind. There was no escape.
1. Chapter 1: The Nightmare's Just Begun

**Hello Mighty Med fandom! I'm daphrose, in case we haven't met yet, and I usually hang out in the Lab Rats archives. But I think we can all agree that MM needs more fics. Well, I haven't come up with a really good idea for one . . . until now. I'm very excited for this story. I hope you will be too. Fun fact: This is my first multi-chaptered story outside of the Lab Rats fandom. I'm excited about that. :) Hopefully I get the characters right. XD**

**A lot of this story will be based off the song "Monster" by Skillet. Totally recommended. The song will probably be inspiration for many of the chapter titles.**

**There will be bits of Skoliver in this, since I ship them. There probably won't be much more than there is in the canon, however. Maybe a little more at the very end.**

**This story is going to be pretty dark. It's rated T for a reason. And let me be clear about something before we start: There's nothing supernatural going on here. I don't write for that genre. There are logical—and somewhat scientific—reasons for the events of this story. Feel free to guess them, though the answer won't be revealed for a while. This story will contain strange thoughts, nightmares, scary/intense scenes, and the like. There's a huge trigger warning for psychological torture; I know some might find that uncomfortable. If any of this worries you, don't read. I don't want anyone having a panic attack because of my stories. And yes, this is definitely going to be a darker one.**

**Let's start. I don't own Mighty Med or any of the characters. Enjoy!**

* * *

*** * * Chapter 1: The Nightmare's Just Begun * * ***

* * *

When it started, it was almost unnoticeable. It was something easily chalked up to normal teenage behavior or the occasional ugly feelings every human being experiences from time to time in their lives. It was basic, soft, and nothing of concern. It disguised itself as something it wasn't, and was able to hide its true purpose for a long time. It was so small, so insignificant, that no one paid attention to it.

Even though it started out innocently, Oliver Pyne remembered the night it all began. Though he hadn't found any of it particularly strange at the time—he certainly didn't think it would last as long as it did—it did strike some fear into his heart; a preamble to the worse things to come, even if he didn't know it that night.

At precisely 9:30, Oliver climbed into his bed, just as he did every evening. He was not one to break habit. Now, Oliver liked to think before he went to sleep. He would lie awake and stare at the ceiling, thinking about the day's events, which typically revolved around his shift at Mighty Med and various homework assignments given to him by his teachers. He would write essays and patient reports in his mind so he knew what to type on his laptop the next morning. It was his way of winding down. Usually he would fall asleep by 10:00.

When Oliver turned to see his alarm clock flashing the time 10:45, he sighed. It hadn't taken him this long to fall asleep in years. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't sleep. It wasn't that he wasn't tired, oh no. The long day at Mighty Med researching ways to get Skylar's powers back once more and deflecting Jordan's and Gus's questions about where he and Kaz went after school had left him exhausted. He was surprised he hadn't fallen asleep _before _ten. But no, his mind was keeping him awake.

_His mind._

Yes, that was the problem, wasn't it? Oliver soon realized the way his thoughts raced. He could barely hold on to one subject before his brain would switch to another. He sighed once more and turned over, burying his face in his pillow. "Shut up, brain," he mumbled, his words muffled by the fabric. Then, as if on command, his thoughts began to slow down. Oliver felt exhaustion hit him harder than it ever had before. Almost as if someone whacked him in the back of the head, he found himself drifting off to a place of darkness.

* * *

_Oliver bent over his work on the desk in the center of Mighty Med. So many reports, so little time. And besides that, he had piles of homework next to it. He could faintly hear Kaz calling him in the background, but he didn't have time for his best friend right now. Too much to do . . . so much to do . . ._

_There was an explosion nearby, and Oliver instinctively covered his face. When he looked up, he saw someone dressed in a long black cloak. He guessed it was a villain; only they would wear such dark colors and do everything possible to hide their face. The villain turned, and he seemed to stare straight at Oliver._

_Out of the side door, Skylar appeared. Oliver smiled; help was here. Skylar ran towards the villain and jumped when he tried to hit her. Oliver's mouth fell open when Skylar remained in the air. She could fly again? But how?_

_Skylar shot a laser beam at the cloaked figure, hitting him in the side of the head. He screamed and stretched out his hands in Skylar's direction. Suddenly she was surrounded by a bluish sphere. Her hands went to her throat and Oliver's stomach clenched as he realized she didn't have any air. The villain kept his arms up. Skylar gasped for breath, but she couldn't do anything._

_Oliver grabbed the nearest object—in this case, a pen—and hurled it at the dark man. It hit him in the leg, but he didn't even acknowledge that Oliver had thrown it. So he grabbed another object—a book, this time—and tried again. Again, no response. "Let her go!" he finally screamed. Oliver tried to grab for something else, but that was when he realized he couldn't move. "Skylar!"_

_The villain released Skylar from her oxygen-deprived prison. She crumpled to the ground while Oliver watched in horror. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't open his mouth. Skylar lay on the ground, not moving, not groaning, not doing anything._

_The man in the cloak turned sharply and advanced towards Oliver. His gait was slow and menacing. He wasn't scared about his victim getting away. He moved deliberately, his fists clenched. His shoulders shook as if he was laughing, but Oliver couldn't hear it if he was._

_"Do . . . not . . . struggle. You're . . . _mine_!" The words echoed through Oliver's mind, not the room around him. The voice hadn't come from his external conditions; it had come from the inside._

_He didn't have time to worry about the internal voice, however. He needed to get away from this evil man. He tried to move his arm, and felt his heart skip a beat when he found that he could. He didn't have the strength to stand, but he could crawl backwards. So that was what he did, begging and pleading for his life as he shuffled towards the wall._

_"You won't win," he said, his voice strained._

_"Oh . . . my dear boy . . . I . . . _will_. You . . . have . . . lost." Again, the voice came not from the villain in front of him, but from his own mind._

_Oliver's hand fell into something, and before he realized what was going on, his whole body tumbled backward. And just like that, Oliver was falling, falling, falling . . . and then he hit the ground. He hit hard. Hard enough to break some bones. Hard enough to give him a concussion. Hard enough to . . ._

* * *

Oliver jolted out of bed. His chest was heaving and his skin was tingling. Every part of his body felt as if it had actually slammed into the ground. He rubbed his legs, trying to get rid of the phantom feeling. He fell back onto his pillow with a loud sigh.

"I hate nightmares," he muttered.

That was the end of his good night's sleep. Oliver got up from his bed and pulled out his secret comic book stash in the bottom drawer of his dresser. He grabbed the latest issue of _Titanio _and crawled back under his covers.

For the next hour—approximately 12:35 to 1:35—Oliver was thoroughly engrossed in Titanio's adventures with the Black Falcon. When he finally finished it, he placed it on his nightstand and turned off his lamp. It was time to try to sleep again. To his relief, sleep came much easier this time.

* * *

At 6:00 in the morning, Oliver was fully awake. Since he would need to get up for school in a few minutes anyway, he didn't try to fall asleep again. Still, he wanted to get the most amount of rest he could before he would have to face the day. He lay with his hands behind his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling above him.

Two more nightmares that night. One trip downstairs for a cup of water. Four more comic books read cover to cover. It hadn't been a good night. He needed every ounce of energy he could muster.

Just as he was about to get up, Oliver's phone buzzed on his nightstand. He reached over and saw that he had received a text. He smiled when he saw the sender.

_Sup bozo? its 3 am here &amp; i cant sleep so 4 sum reson im texting u weird huh? - Sydney_

_First of all, it's spelled "reason." Could you use proper grammar for once? Please? - Oliver_

_U rly think im gonna fix it? Nice try bro - Sydney_

_You're four years older than me. Why am I correcting you? - Oliver_

_'Cause ur a…. wait, mom and dad said i couldnt call u that - Sydney_

_So are you really just texting me because you can't sleep? - Oliver_

_No im texting u bc im ur sister &amp; u love me - Sydney_

_What did you do now? - Oliver_

_NOTHING! - Sydney_

_Sure. - Oliver_

_Rly, nothing. I just wante the first 2 now - Sydney_

_I'm guessing you meant "know." Know what? - Oliver_

_C u in terr weks ;) - Sydney_

_I know I'm weak. Quit reminding me. And what the heck is "terr"? Sydney, speak coherently. - Oliver._

_No silly c u in 3 weeks bc its Spring break &amp; and im coming home on saturday in 3 week all so get ready 4 sib bonding! - Sydney_

_In other words, you're going to tackle me and pin me to the sofa? - Oliver_

_&amp; beat u at zombie crushers till u cry ;) - Sydney_

_I don't cry anymore! - Oliver_

_Well c bout that but come on ily 2 u know that - Sydney_

_Yeah, sure. You know, your inability to use commas, periods, and apostrophes amazes me. I hope your college papers don't look like this. It's a wonder you haven't been expelled yet. - Oliver_

_Haha -_- no i dont write like this 4 class so ha - Sydney_

_You're a . . . wait, Mom and Dad said I couldn't call you that. - Oliver_

_-_- - Sydney_

_I've got to get ready for school. I guess I'll see you in a few weeks, then? That's great. It's been too long. - Oliver_

_Yup &amp; ill c u then cant wait little bro! - Sydney_

Oliver was happy that he wasn't the only one who had trouble sleeping the previous night. He plugged in his phone again, smiling all the while. He and his sister teased each other a lot, but deep down they loved one another. Besides, Sydney shared his secret love of video games and comic books. Maybe he should tell her about Mighty Med . . .

No, he couldn't do that. He couldn't risk being cubed. Sydney couldn't know, even if she was one of the biggest female comic book fans in the universe. It had to be kept a secret. She had to think it was all a story.

Oliver stood up and began walking towards the bathroom to get ready. A yawn shook his body, and he brought a hand to his mouth to cover it. "School's not going to be fun today," he muttered. "Or work." He sighed. Who knew one night of spotty sleep could be so exhausting?

At the time, Oliver saw nothing inherently wrong with that night. Everyone has nightmares occasionally. Everyone has trouble sleeping from time to time. He shrugged it off and splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up a little more. There was nothing worrisome about a lack of sleep. It was only one night, after all.

Unfortunately, that was only the beginning. Oliver could later pinpoint it as the start—now if only it was the end. In fact, that first night was restful compared to future ones. And that day went by without any other problems besides his drowsiness. A lack of sleep would prove to be the least of his problems in the days to come . . .

* * *

**So I suppose this chapter may be a bit more like a prologue, but it contained enough important information for me to call it a chapter.**

**Oh, and by the way, Sydney is my own character. I don't know, I kind of wanted Oliver to have a big sis. I can't remember if it was ever said that he's an only child. I know they've never said he ****_has _****siblings, but I don't think they said he ****_doesn't _****have siblings—if that makes sense. She's going to become pretty vital at parts of the story. I hope you'll like her. And not hate her for her text speak. XD By the way, ****_I _****don't text like that, so I was kinda winging it with the misspelled words and such. Sorry if it was hard to read. That was actually on purpose. XD**

**Also, the credit for Oliver's last name, Pyne, goes to Writer207. She made that up for him, and I thought it was a good name. (Plus I'm awful at surnames.) If you haven't checked out her stories yet, go do it now! They are amazing!**

**So, how'd you like chapter one? What's wrong with Oliver? I'm sure you caught the foreshadowing (it was pretty blatant) but things only get worse from here. Any thoughts? Theories? Wild guesses? I'd love to hear them. Reviews are appreciated, though not required. Thanks so much for simply reading.**

**Updates for this story will be spotty, I'm sorry to say. I am pretty excited to write this, so hopefully I can update often. But don't hate me if I'm unable to. I'll see you guys next time for chapter two. Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2: Scratching on the Walls

**Hello again, Mighty Med fans! Thanks for all the reviews last chapter. I'm glad you all like Sydney. Hmm, you had interesting guesses, guys. I'm not saying who's right quite yet. Pay close attention to the story, though. Clues and hints will be given. ;) **

**So, Oliver's parents are divorced? And his mom is marrying Horace? (Please tell me that won't actually happen . . .) Great way to mess up my story, Disney! I need Oliver's parents together for this fic (dysfunctional though they may be). So I guess this is AU now? Just so you guys know. Oliver's dad still lives with them in America, and Horace is most certainly ****_not _****engaged to Bridget. Also, just so there's no confusion, this chapter takes place exactly a week after the last chapter.**

**I think I'm actually pretty proud of how this chapter turned out. I wrote Kaz and Gus for the first time, and I believe I did pretty well with their characters. Still, I'll let you guys be the judges.**

**Perhaps this chapter doesn't contain a lot of action, but it sets things up for the future scenes. I don't own Mighty Med or "The Yellow Wall-Paper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Enjoy!**

* * *

*** * * Chapter 2: Scratching on the Walls * * ***

* * *

Oliver walked down the sidewalk with his eyes focused solely on the pavement. He took cautious, deliberate steps, being careful not to step on any of the cracks. When he looked up, he stood in the front of Logan High School. Students wandered in and out the door; some stood and talked with each other.

As Oliver began to head inside, he noticed someone crouching behind the bench on his right. The mop of brown hair and thick glasses made it obvious who it was. Oliver paused and said, "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but what are you doing, Gus?"

Oliver's friend popped his head up and put a finger to his lips. "I'm hunting buffalo!" he said.

"Yup, I knew I would regret it." Oliver began to walk away, but Gus jumped out and stopped him.

"Wait! You wouldn't happen to have a pair of binoculars on you, would ya?"

"No, Gus."

"It's fine, I have my own." Gus pulled a pair of binoculars out of his backpack and put them to his eyes. Oliver wasn't at all surprised when he looked through the wrong end. "Whoa, Oliver, did you shrink?" Then he turned his attention to the sky.

"What are you doing?" Oliver asked.

"Looking for buffalo. I already said that!"

"In Philadelphia? And more importantly, in the _sky_?"

"Where else would you find buffalo?"

Oliver sighed. "On the _ground_! Buffalo can't fly."

Gus lowered his binoculars and laughed as if Oliver was the one who was misinformed. "Then why do they have wings?"

"They don't have . . . you know what, forget it."

"Man, someone's grumpy. Don't worry, once I capture my buffalo, I'll let you ride it."

Oliver didn't even bother answering him. He just went into the school and headed for his locker. Still, Gus's words slightly bothered him—and not just the part about buffalo hunting. He had been grumpy, hadn't he? That was unusual. He had been friends with Gus for years, and at this point Oliver knew how to handle his antics. And maybe this time he hadn't handled it well.

There was a large crash from somewhere behind Oliver. He jumped and spun around, looking for the source of the noise. He couldn't see anything in the hall, near the doors, or outside. No one else seemed concerned either. They kept going about their normal routines. Oliver finally shrugged and kept pulling his books out of his locker.

It only took a few minutes for Kaz to show up. "Hey, dude. You know that Gus is outside trying to catch a buffalo, right?"

"And yet," Oliver sighed, "this isn't the most concerning thing he's ever done."

Kaz nodded thoughtfully. "True." Then he frowned. "Hey, you okay, Oliver? You look a little . . . out of it."

"I'm fine. Just tired. I haven't slept well this week."

"Well, you're going to have to find some energy. We've got a long shift at Mighty Med tonight."

"Shh!" Oliver hissed. "We can't let anyone find out about that."

"Oh, come on. We're surrounded by high schoolers. They're too busy looking at their phones to pay attention to us."

Oliver had to admit that his best friend was right; not one person in the hall seemed to look up. "Still, you have to be quiet."

"All right, all right. By the way, do you have any plans on the twenty-fifth? Two weeks from tomorrow? Kevin's throwing a sweet party."

"I already told you I don't want to go to your brother's parties. Don't they always get broken up by the police, anyway?"

Kaz looked offended. "No!" He paused for a moment. "Sometimes they're broken up by a SWAT team."

Oliver rolled his eyes and slammed his locker shut. "Besides, Sydney's coming home that day."

"Oh, yeah." Kaz glanced around at the other students. "How jealous do you think they'd all be if I told them I had a girlfriend who's in college?"

"For the last time, Sydney's not your girlfriend. And she never will be your girlfriend! In fact, I think she finds you annoying."

"Yeah, but so does every girl I meet. Come on, man, you know Sydney's my type!"

"And by your 'type' you mean she's a female you consider pretty?"

"Exactly! Low intelligence, lower self-esteem. That's my kind of woman." Kaz laughed and rubbed his hands together.

"Hey! Don't talk about my sister that way!" Oliver paused for a moment before adding, "Even if it's true."

"So you think she'd go out with me?"

"Sure . . . when you can add seventy-six and thirty-four."

Kaz scrunched up his face and looked at the ceiling. Then he grinned and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Without using a calculator!" Oliver said.

Kaz scowled and put down his phone.

"Besides, isn't Sydney a little old for you?"

"Hey, love knows no limits!"

"No, _you _know no limits. Ugh, I'm scared for when you start driving."

"Yup, this summer. It'll be something." Kaz held out his arms like he had a steering wheel in front of him and began making buzzing noises with his mouth. He turned his arms back and forth wildly, then waved them in the air. "Ah! We're all gonna die!" He started laughing.

"As I said, I'm very scared." Nonetheless, Oliver smiled. "Come on, we're going to be late for class."

"Oh, right!" Kaz took off running down the hall.

"Kaz!"

Kaz froze and turned around. "What?"

"Health class is the other way."

Kaz jogged up to his friend. "Right, I knew that."

Less than five minutes later, the two boys had taken their seats in the class, waiting for Ms. Reese to begin the lesson. The health teacher was a middle-aged woman with a too-tight brown bun on the top of her head and large glasses that could probably be seen from New Jersey. She wore the same black skirt every day, but Oliver didn't think he had ever seen her wear the same blouse twice. Today, he noticed, it was light blue with green lace on the collar.

"Sit down, everyone, sit _down_!" Ms. Reese called. Her voice was something of a mixture between excitement and weariness. To be honest, Ms. Reese was probably one of Oliver's favorite teachers. She spoke well and passionately, and she managed to make health a little less awkward for everyone.

Finally the teens settled down and paid attention to their teacher. She smiled and said, "Today we're going to begin our course on mental health. Over the next few weeks, we'll be covering various mental disorders, as well as the history of mental illness. This is a very serious and sensitive subject, and there are many misconceptions surrounding it. I hope you'll all pay close attention."

Ms. Reese began walking down the aisles, handing each student a small stack of papers. "Your homework for the weekend will be to read 'The Yellow Wallpaper,' a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Read it over and underline any parts you think show symptoms of a mental illness. I've also given you some links to reliable articles about these disorders, and I highly encourage you to look them up. I'll be testing your knowledge of these materials on Monday."

The teacher went on to explain precisely what a mental illness was, as well as give examples of a few specific ones, such as depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. She outlined what the next few classes would look like and what was expected of the students.

Oliver played with the corner of his paper and started scanning "The Yellow Wallpaper." His mind began to drift off, and for once in his life he had a hard time focusing. It wasn't that he didn't like the subject; mental illness had always fascinated him, as odd as that sounded.

Oliver stifled a yawn. _Tired. I'm just so tired. _But he still had a whole day of school to get through, as well as a busy shift at Mighty Med. _Great . . ._

* * *

**Maybe not the best ending, but still. Next chapter will be about Mighty Med and stuff. I'm so excited to write Horace and Skylar for the first time! Speaking of which, how did I do with Kaz and Gus?**

**I went back and forth on whether to make Kaz have a crush on Sydney. And I figured, eh, Kaz is a player. Why not? It's not like he's seriously ****_in love _****with her (y'know, like Oliver is with Skylar). It's just . . . Kaz being Kaz. I actually figured it matched with his character. Don't worry, this will ****_not _****be Kaz/OC. They have more of a "my-younger-brother's-weird-best-friend-has-a-crush-on-me" kind of relationship. It doesn't go anywhere, I promise.**

**Also, thanks to the U.S. National Library of Medicine's website for helping me find "The Yellow Wallpaper" and giving me ideas for how to construct Oliver's health class. (I just wanted to credit my sources.)**

**Hope you guys liked this chapter. Thanks so much for reading! Reviews are great. :3 See you all next time! Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3: Let Him Out

**Woo, this chapter's actually been done for a while. Why I didn't post it sooner, I have no idea. But hey! I'm posting it now. Thanks for all the reviews and support, guys; it means the world to me.**

**So, I'm going to slip in a few OCs here—and not just Oliver's sister. I hope you guys don't mind. I added them into the story idea recently, and since I was at a loss for how to end this chapter, added them to this part. So you'll get a . . . different view at the end of the chapter.**

**Before I begin, let me remind you that ****_I am a Skoliver shipper_****. As in, diehard shipper. A lot. Really, truly, I am. Just thought I'd say that, since some things in this chapter will make it appear otherwise . . . O.o**

**I don't own Mighty Med, of course, or any of the characters. Winter and Chance are mine, as well as the unnamed caller (who shall eventually have a name). Let's get on with it!**

* * *

*** * * Chapter 3: Let Him Out * * ***

* * *

Oliver walked into the hospital with Kaz by his side. Truth be told, Oliver often wondered why the nurses and secretaries never asked the boys why they came in every day. He supposed they were too wrapped up in their own work. Maybe he should just accept it and be grateful.

As they approached the door to the janitor's closet, Oliver put a hand to his head and groaned. Kaz sighed and turned around. "You've been doing that all day," he said. "Either quit it or tell me what's wrong."

"I already told you that I'm exhausted. And now I've got a headache."

"Dude, maybe you should just go home. I'll cover for you with Horace. I'm sure he'd understand—"

"No! I'll be fine."

Kaz shrugged. "If you say so. But if you use a web-untanglizer on an insect-based hero, I'm not covering for you."

"Kaz, you're the only one who's ever done that."

"It's a surprisingly easy mistake to make."

"Oh, so is that why you did it four times? Like I told you before, it's not that hard! Just count the legs!"

Kaz frowned. "Man, you get grumpy when you're tired."

Oliver rolled his eyes and followed Kaz into the closet. Still, there was a pang of guilt in his chest. Was he a bad friend to be so angry at his buddies for being themselves? What had gotten into him?

The boys completed the puzzle for Caduceo's symbol—Horace's symbol, Oliver had to remind himself. He still found it hard to believe.

The moment Oliver stepped into Mighty Med, it felt like his brain was suddenly emptied. Or maybe he felt as if someone had splashed a cold bucket of water on his face. Either way, he felt rejuvenated.

"Now what's wrong, Oliver?"

Oliver looked up and realized that he had frozen and put a hand on his head. He blinked slowly and answered his best friend. "Nothing. I . . . suddenly feel a lot better. Like all the tiredness just . . . left."

"Oh, great. Does that mean you'll do my math homework now?"

Oliver narrowed his eyes. "No."

Energy swelled through Oliver like it hadn't all week, and the day seemed much more bearable now. In fact, the afternoon flew by. He got through his patients with incredible speed and alacrity. Before he knew it, his shift was almost over, and he had nothing else to do. As he always did when he ran out of work, Oliver sat at the front desk and did his homework.

Kaz walked up after a few minutes and leaned on the counter. "Whatcha doing?"

"Shh, I'm reading."

"Oh, come on, no one reads anymore."

"They should. Kaz, this is amazing!"

"What are you reading? Not that I care, but you seem to, so I'll pretend to listen since I'm your friend."

"This is our homework. 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman? Our assignment for health class?" Oliver sighed at Kaz's blank face. "Anyway, it's such a fascinating story. You can totally see where the main character loses it. And the inconsideration of everyone around her is pretty sad. I wonder if stuff like that still happens. You know, when people have a serious mental problem, but their friends pass them off as crazy and refuse to help." Oliver tapped a pencil on his lip. "They're really only sick."

Kaz shook his head. "See, yet another reason I don't read. You're thinking too much about this. It's just homework; chill out."

Oliver stared at the paper in his hands. "But it's not just homework," he mumbled. "It's real life."

The door to the hospital opened and the boys looked up to see Skylar Storm walk in. There was a certain bounce in her step and a smile graced her features. Oliver had to put his hand over his mouth to keep himself from grinning like a lovesick fool—which admittedly he was.

"Hey Oliver, Kaz," Skylar said as she walked up. "Guess what happened?"

"You found a way to get your powers back again?" Kaz asked.

Skylar scowled. "Don't be cruel. It'll happen soon, though!" She put her hands on the counter and sighed. "I just had my first real date with a normo boy!"

Oliver couldn't stop his eyes from going wide. "You what?"

Skylar shrugged. "Cody Willis asked me today if I wanted to go out for frozen yogurt. So after school we went to a place and ate and talked and stuff. That's a date, right? Normo mating methods still confuse me."

"Yeah," Oliver said, hanging his head. "I guess it was a date."

"Well, I'm gonna go change into my usual outfit. Normo clothes are so uncomfortable." Skylar walked away, pinching her shirt and squirming.

"Man, I'm sorry," Kaz said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"No, no, I'm okay. If Skylar wants to go out with another boy, I'm fine with that. If she's happy, I'm happy."

Kaz frowned. "Whatever you say. But if you need to—"

"All I want to do right now is homework, okay, Kaz? So quit bugging me and let me read."

Kaz held up his hands and backed away. "Fine. I've got one more patient to check on anyway. We're leaving at seven, right?"

Oliver was already back to reading his homework. "Uh huh."

"See you then, I guess."

Oliver sighed and rested his chin in his hand as his friend walked away. _If Skylar's happy, I'm happy. That's that. Now to schoolwork. That's always fun. And hey, it makes sense this time._

It was weird. Seven hours ago, Oliver couldn't make heads or tails of any of his assignments. It was if all intelligence had left his head. But now, back in Mighty Med, it had returned. After mulling it over for a few minutes, Oliver decided he wouldn't question it. He only hoped that this feeling would last.

* * *

"Winter! Winter!" She ignored the calls of her name and turned up the volume on the music. "Winter! Turn it off!"

She pointed to her earphones. "I can't hear you!"

Her partner leaned down and yanked the earphones out of her ears. "Can you hear me now?" he shouted.

Winter scowled and paused the music. "What are you bugging about?"

"The boss is gonna call soon. Are you ready?"

"I'm more ready than you. And for your information, music helps me prepare my mind for meetings. Can I turn it back on?"

"No. Put it down and act like a grown up."

"Chance, this isn't the president. It's the guy—"

"Who's paying us a big amount of money for this job? Yes, yes he is. So put your butt in the seat and watch the screen. We'll sit here until he contacts us."

Winter sighed and moved into one of the seats behind the desk. In front of her sat dozens of computers, and above them all was a screen that could rival a movie theater screen. Chance fiddled with some of his devices on the other side of the room. Winter played with the ends of her earphones and sighed again—very dramatically, she might add, to make a point.

"You know, I'm the one who's actually doing this job," she said.

"But I'm the mastermind and you know that." Chance sat down and typed rapidly on the computer. "He'll be calling any minute. Get ready."

Winter shook her head as her partner sat down in the chair beside her. "You did tell me that you were diagnosed with OCD when you were a kid, right?"

"Shh," Chance said with a scowl.

It was a good three minutes before their boss actually did call. He popped up on the screen and Winter was able to identify him as classic villain. He sat in a dark room in a chair with a high back, and he was dressed in all black. A hood shrouded his face from view.

"Winter, Chance," he said in a slow, menacing voice. He didn't seem in a hurry with his words, as if he had all the time in the world. Winter could imagine him smirking under that hood.

"We're here, like you requested," Winter said. "What's up?"

"I thought we would talk more about the deal now."

"You ready for us to start?"

"Certainly."

"Payment is due before we begin," Chance said. His voice was laced with venom and he leaned back in the chair like the cool guy he could never be.

"I already did pay you. It went straight to your accounts."

Winter looked over at Chance. He shrugged. "I haven't checked yet," he said. "I'll have to verify that."

The villain leaned closer to his camera. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"Do I even have to?"

The boss leaned back and let out a laugh. It was more of a chuckle, Winter supposed. It was deep and dark, the stuff of children's nightmares. It made Winter shudder, but she loved it all the same.

"You're a smart boy," he said.

"Well, it's my job." Chance held out his hands and grinned.

"Yeah, and your other job is to annoy me," Winter muttered.

"Please forgive my immature partner."

"_I'm _the immature one? Five minutes ago you were yanking my headphones out of my ears and throwing a tantrum because you were worried we would miss the call!"

The two erupted into a fierce argument, which was only interrupted when their boss cleared his throat. The partners settled down in their seats.

"Your relationship still amuses me," the villain said. "You fight with the vigor of siblings and the danger of a dissolved couple."

"We were never—nor will we ever be—involved in a romantic relationship," Chance hissed. "She's not my type."

"And he's not my species."

Chance replied by sticking out his tongue. Winter responded in kind.

"Perhaps it was a mistake to work with children," the boss said wearily.

"No, no, we're amazing on the field, I promise," Winter said. "And teens. Please call us teens. Give us a chance and we'll show you."

"Fine. You two do have a good record. Here's the job. This young boy is Oliver Pyne." A picture of a brown-haired boy in a school setting appeared on the screen beside the villain's head.

"Oh, I know his sister," Winter said. "Sydney Pyne. I met her while I was working in a coffee shop."

"When did you work in a coffee shop?" Chance asked.

"During my Cali job three months ago. She told me about Oliver. Bright kid, comic book lover, and you can by the look in his eyes that he's hiding some kind of secret. He's also a normo."

"He's one of two normos to work at Mighty Med," the boss continued.

"I heard about that. So what's your point?"

"My point is, if we can get to Oliver, we can get to Mighty Med."

"Wait, two normos?" Chance asked. "What about the other one?"

"Kaz Gordon does not fit my plan quite as well. Oliver is . . . mentally unstable. He doesn't know it yet, but he is. His mental state is slipping fast, and we can take advantage of that."

"Did you do something to his mental state?" Winter asked, fixing the villain with her signature glare. That usually got them talking.

"I'm not going to discuss this with a mere minion of my plan. Your job is to make sure that Oliver thinks he is going insane. It's bound to happen, but you must help the process along."

"What can I do?"

"Get inside his school and claim to be a new student. But only allow Oliver to see you. Whenever one of his friends come up, you should mysteriously disappear. That way, he and those around him will suspect that he's—"

"Got a few loose screws?"

"If you'd like to use that phraseology, precisely." A black cat jumped up onto the villain's lap and began to purr. "There, there, Ink."

"Wow, you've really got this villain thing down," Chance said.

"Of course; it's my job, after all. So, Winter, can I trust you to penetrate Oliver's school and drive him out of his mind?"

"I consider myself very trustworthy," Winter said with a grin.

Chance frowned. "In third grade, you stole my crayon and blamed it on Suzy Richardson. I wouldn't call that trustworthy."

"You two have been friends since third grade?"

"First, actually." Winter rubbed her hands together and looked at the ceiling. "We've been through a lot. We got our powers at the same time."

"Good. You have a strong bond. I see much trust in that. I have a feeling I did the right thing by picking you two to carry out the mission."

"Indeed you did," Chance said, "and we should probably start soon. But before we go, sir, I was wondering if we could know your name?"

The villain stroked his cat and laughed. "Boy, I do not give out that kind of information on the first job. I will only say that they call me crazy."

"But—"

The screen went black.

"Weird," Chance mumbled.

"No time to worry about that. We've got to get ready for the mission. Help me figure out my cover story? You're the creative one here."

"Of course. But give me a minute to think and research the school."

"Logan High School in Philadelphia. I know a lot more about that."

"Yeah, well, unlike you, I don't remember every little detail I've ever heard. And I prefer to learn about this kind of stuff on my own. So please just leave me alone."

"Sure thing."

Winter walked to the other side of the room and picked up her phone. She grinned devilishly and pulled out the earphones. She pulled up her favorite song, slid the volume all the way up, and sat back to enjoy the soothing tunes.

"Turn off that infernal rock music, Winter!"

"Fat chance," she mumbled. As the intense words blared through her phone's speakers, she breathed in the ferocity and danger. Oliver Pyne would fall because she, Winter Zane, never failed to drive others out of their minds.

* * *

**Ahaha! So there are some villains involved now, hmm? That only makes things more interesting. Who was that mysterious man? Hint: You do ****_not_**** know who he is. Still, I like guesses. :) Oh, and what's up with Oliver suddenly feeling a lot better? Do you think that will last?**

**By the way, when Skylar said "normo mating methods," yes, I meant mating. Not dating. What? She's not from earth. She can use terms like that. :)**

**I actually really liked this chapter. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think of Winter and Chance. They'll be showing up again, so I hope you like them! Or hate them, I guess, since they're bad guys. But still like them . . . oh, this is too confusing. Just leave your thoughts in a review and I'll be happy. :3 Thanks for reading, all! See you soon!**


	4. Chapter 4: Keep It Caged

**I guess this story is officially AU. Oliver's mother is not a villain, they didn't get powers, etc. Basically, most of the second season didn't happen (especially the last few episodes).**

**This isn't a long chapter, but it's better than none at all, right? I know I've kept you waiting for a really long time, so I won't keep you any longer. I don't own Mighty Med, just Sydney. Enjoy!**

* * *

*** * * Chapter 4: Keep It Caged * * ***

* * *

"But Larry, why would you do something like this?"

"I wanted a pet, Jennifer! Mom said I could get one."

"But a giraffe? This is too far, Larry!"

Oliver rubbed his temples and sighed. "Lame," he muttered, hitting the channel button on the remote.

"Vierta el queso con cuidado en el mostrador y meta los pepinillos en el jugo de tomate—"

He hit it again.

"The man who kidnapped a young girl was found by police earlier this morning. He was in a small convince store buying a bag of Cheetos—"

And again.

"Oh, Marco! Kiss me again, Marco!"

"I can't, Esmeralda. I'm . . . I'm a _murderer_!"

"Marco, no!"

Once more.

"Okay, yo! Everyday's an adventure, you never know by the looks on our face—"

The doorbell rang and Oliver sighed, turning off the TV. _Shoot. And that looked good, too._

It rang again. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." He opened the door and raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

Sydney glared at him. "What, no hello for your big sis?"

He shrugged and leaned on the door. "Sorry. Hi."

Sydney came into the house, dragging her suitcase behind her. "That's all?"

"Give me a break; I'm tired. What are you doing here?"

"Last I checked, I lived here from the time I was six until I was eighteen. As for why I'm here _now_, Mom called and said she had some emergency meeting and couldn't pick up until ten tonight."

"Of course."

"Of course. I said I would be fine waiting at the airport, 'cause they had some neat shops I wanted to check out, but when the homeless guy fell asleep on my feet—not _at _my feet, _on _my feet—I decided to catch a cab."

"Good call."

"Well, I'm heading up to my room to unpack. Unless you turned it into your video game room."

"I have, but I cleaned it up yesterday so there's space for you to sleep."

"Awesome. After I get settled, I'll make sure to beat all your high scores." She smirked and he rolled his eyes.

After Sydney went upstairs, Oliver began to reach for the remote to keep watching television. He bit his lip and straightened. "Nah, I've got homework to do." As much as he wanted to lounge around and do nothing all day, he had procrastinated on studying for their upcoming science test far too long. Which was quite unusual for him, but he supposed it was only the sleepless nights taking their toll on him.

Oliver headed upstairs and sat down at his desk, forcing himself to concentrate. He started going through the textbook, reviewing terms and reading what had been assigned. Every so often he had the urge to crawl into bed and sleep until summer, but he resisted.

"I'm turning into Kaz," he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

After several minutes of semi-successful studying, Oliver heard someone call his name. He looked around, then left his room and walked down the hall. "Sydney?" he called.

"Yeah? What do you want?" she answered from inside her room.

"Did you call me?"

"No. Why on earth would I call you?"

Oliver shrugged and headed back to his room, passing it off as a weird but not harmful incident. A few minutes later, he swore he heard Sydney calling his name again. This time he knew he heard it; it was as if she stood right outside his door. He got up and peeked his head out into the hall.

"Syd?"

"What?"

"Did you call me?"

"No! Leave me alone, dork. I'm unpacking and I don't want to be interrupted."

Oliver furrowed his brow. Once, fine. Twice? Something odd was happening.

He shook his head and went back to science. He was tired. He needed rest. He was going crazy from lack of sleep.

Oliver stared at his science book before falling onto his bed. He needed to study, but he needed to sleep more. Hopefully there wouldn't be a nightmare this time. . . .

"Oliver!"

He sat up and groaned. Part of him figured it was another hallucination, but it had sounded so real. Then he figured that perhaps it was his sister toying around with him—she did like to do that. He stood up and left his room, going all the way down the hall and throwing his sister's door open.

"I don't know if you're messing with me or what, but would you please stop calling me?"

"I'm not calling you, weirdo," Sydney said. "Why would I? I've been on a crowded plane for the past five hours sandwiched between a nursing mother and a businessman that smelled like cheese, and all I want now is to be _alone_."

"Or you want to mess with me."

Sydney threw down the object in her hand and groaned. "I'm not in the mood. I'm not messing with you, you're just insane. M'kay?"

Oliver narrowed his eyes, but they widened again when he saw the object she had thrown down. "Hey, that's the latest Blue Tornado comic! I was going to read that!"

Sydney held it away as he lunged for it. "Ah-ah. Not until I'm gone. I plan to read every page of this comic over and over before you get it back. Maybe spill something on page twenty-three."

"Fine, I'll just ask Blue Tornado about it later."

"What?"

"Nothing." Oliver sat down on the bed. "What's with you today? You're crankier than usual, and that's saying something."

Sydney threw the comic book onto her barely unpacked suitcase. "I don't know. A lot has happened since Christmas break. I just . . . I don't want to talk about it right now. Leave it be, all right?"

"All right, all right. I'll leave you alone."

"Good. And by the way, even if you imagine I'm calling, don't answer. Even if you think the house might be burning down and I'm calling out for you to save my life, don't answer. Okay?"

"Okay." Oliver got up to leave, but before he went, he turned back and flashed his sister a genuine smile. "It's good to have you home."

She returned his genuine smile with one of her own. "Good to be home."

* * *

**Sydney's all right, but, you know, big sisters. I am one, so I should know. :P**

**(Psst! Did anyone hear that fourth wall crumble towards the beginning? I know I sure did! Also, who can translate that Spanish stuff? It's the quite the entertaining sentence once you know what it means. XD Hopefully I did it right . . .)**

**Okay, now, bad news. I don't know when the next update will be. I'll try to make it soon, but to be honest, I can't promise anything. I'm sorry for taking so long on some of my stories, but I do have news: This year and from now on, I won't post new stories until I've finished them entirely. That way you won't have to wait around for so long. I'll also work harder on updating the stories I haven't finished yet. Keep reviewing and reminding me, because I'm quite forgetful. However, for this story specifically, I'm having a hard time. Mighty Med ended, and with it a lot of my inspiration. I'll try to keep going, but I'm sorry if updates are slow. Your reviews help a lot (I truly mean that), so keep them coming. Thank you. :)**

**That being said, thanks for reading, everyone! I hope you liked it. Let me know what you through via review, and hopefully it won't be quite as long before I update again. See y'all soon! Bye!**


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